


a legacy of love and song

by Aelig



Series: Comfortember 2020 [7]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Nightwing (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Teen Titans - All Media Types
Genre: Bruce Wayne is a Good Grandparent, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Earth-197, Family, Family Fluff, Fluff, Gen, Grandparent Bruce Wayne, Grandparent-Grandchildren Relationship, Kids being very cute kids, Mentionned Dad Dick Grayson, Mentionned Dad Jason Todd, blanket fort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2020-11-07
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:28:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27438097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aelig/pseuds/Aelig
Summary: "He had been hurt on patrol last night; nothing too serious, a couple of bruised ribs like he'd dealt with hundreds before. Leslie still told him he should rest for a day or two, and his children had listened too closely to the recommendation. Clearly, his grandchildren had listened as well considering that Lian and Charlie dragged him out of the Cave for the evening, quoting a much needed grandfather-grandchildren bonding time.Bruce hadn't had it in him to protest. How could he? He loved them too much to even try protesting and risking disappointing them."OR: Bruce spend the evening with his grandchildren.
Relationships: Bruce Wayne & His Grandchildren
Series: Comfortember 2020 [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1996051
Comments: 5
Kudos: 76





	a legacy of love and song

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone!! I hope you have a good day :D
> 
> Here is day 7, with Blanket Fort! Bruce with his grandchildren :fingerguns:  
> So, for the little recap: Charlie is based on the character Charlotte Gage-Radcliffe except in this universe she's 9 and Barbara adopted her (and she adopted Dick as her father without asking first btw); Mar'i (5) is Dick and Kori's kid; Angie (~1 year) is Dick and Babs' kid they kind of had by accident; Lian (7) is Roy's kid obviously and she adopted both Dick and Jason as her fathers for different reasons; Tyler (4) and Noah (5 months) are Jason's adoptive kids. And that's it folks :D
> 
> Once again, big thanks to [Dottie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dottie_wan_kenobi/pseuds/dottie_wan_kenobi), my own personnal angel who accept to beta even at the last minute :D

Bruce watched, amused, as Tyler tried to inch away the blanket from Mar'i. She obviously had none of that and scolded her cousin, still pulling at the fabric. As a responsible adult, Bruce should break the would-be-fight right then and there, but he actually had a baby in his arms and no desire to let him go for now. Noah was babbling happily, still too young to formulate proper words, his tiny hands waving in all directions with energy.

“Mar'i!” called Charlie from behind the couch, and her head full of red hair emerged. “Come help me please?”

It successfully lured her little sister away, and Bruce gave her a thankful nod. Charlie only beamed, going back to her blanket construction right after that, Mar'i on her heels. He could hear Lian laughing at something, Mar'i's quiet voice following soon after.

“ _Meh_.” Tyler was now pouting, the fabric in his hand. He crossed his arms on his chest, and Bruce stretched his hand out toward him.

“Well, seems like we have been left together, buddy. You want to carry your little brother?”

That did the trick; Tyler immediately came, already ready to take Noah into his arms, his smile lightening up his face. He sat down beside Bruce.

Bruce chuckled. Noah went from being cradled against his grandfather to his big brother in no time, still babbling nonsense. Tyler cradled him carefully on his lap.

“Be careful, alright?” He ruffled the boy's hair before standing up, ready to look at what his granddaughters were doing. He didn't feel comfortable with letting the girls without surveillance too long.

Angie was playing in the middle of a blanket laid out on the floor. Around her, Charlie and Lian were building the foundation of what would probably be a very impressive blanket fort. Mar'i was casually flying to set up the roof of the structure.

“G'anpa!” yelled Angie happily, her arms stretched toward him.

Lian immediately frowned. “Grandpa Bruce! Leslie said you weren't supposed to move!”

Bruce caught Angie and cradled her against him. “I'm fine, Lian.”

“But you've been hurt!”

“Yeah, they said don't move. So don't move. Sit!” Charlie had her hands on her hips, her glare not quite the level of her mother's one but close enough.

“Alright, alright.” Bruce sat on the couch, Angie still in his arms. He made sure Tyler was still on the floor with his little brother. The boys hadn't moved, Tyler apparently recounting his day to Noah.

He had been hurt on patrol last night; nothing too serious, a couple of bruised ribs like he'd dealt with hundreds before. Leslie still told him he should rest for a day or two, and his children had listened too closely to the recommendation. Clearly, his grandchildren had listened as well considering that Lian and Charlie dragged him out of the Cave for the evening, quoting a much needed grandfather-grandchildren bonding time.

Bruce hadn't had it in him to protest. How could he? He loved them too much to even try protesting and risking disappointing them.

He loved watching them play, or building this blanket fort the girls were determined to have done in time to sleep inside. He loved Noah's soft babbles, Tyler's bright smiles, Mar'i's quiet voice, Charlie's ever going energy, Lian's grins of victory, Angie's sparkling eyes. He loved spending time with them, looking at them breathing and existing and living around him and thinking _they're my family, they're the innocent children I want to protect and make the world better for_. He thought he couldn't love people more than he loved his children, but that was before being a grandfather; it was a different love, but still a strong, intense one. He wasn't the one with the responsibility to raise them, after all; weren't grandparents supposed to sneack out cookies to their grandchildren between meals and let them stay up a little too late at night? Or something like that?

Thinking about that, he wasn't sure Alfred or Leslie had been these type of grandparents.

“Grandpa?”

Tyler was watching him with his big, innocent brown eyes, and Bruce came back to himself. “Yes, sweetheart?”

“Can I have candies?”

Alright. He had to try not to fall for the obvious trap, the big puppy eyes, the excited expectation and the general cuteness. Easy peasy.

What did Jason say already? No sugar after dinner? It was almost midnight, right? So, definitely no, then. He just had to say the word.

He concentrated on Tyler again. Mar'i was now by his side, her big bright green eyes turned toward him, and he felt his resolution falter.

“Candies!” piped Angie happily from his lap.

_Time to be a man, Bruce. Just tell the kids no, and everything is going to be alright._

“Of course you can have candies,” he said. His grandchildren cheered.

He was going to regret this, wasn't he?

.

.

.

Bruce was so, so glad the sugar high was coming to an end. He knew that giving candies to the kids that late at night was a bad idea, but- They were so cute, and he was weak, alright? He was a grandfather, he was allowed. Probably.

The would-be blanket fort was absolutely destroyed. There were duvets everywhere on the floor, the kids spread on them. Noah was in his crib – he hadn't had any sugar, thank little mercies – and was still sleeping for now. Angie had curled up in a nest of soft blankets twenty minutes ago and hadn't moved since, so Bruce assumed she was asleep as well. Tyler, Lian, Mar'i and Charlie were still awake, though.

The sugar high hadn't really hit Mar'i, probably thanks to her Tamaranean heritage. Which was a good thing, because Bruce had no idea how he would have managed a flying granddaughter. The last three, on the other hand, had been hit pretty badly and ran around for what seemed like _hours_ , yelling and fighting and playing and being generally very loud. Bruce was glad the children had already taken on their nightlife; at least, it would spare him from a bit of Dick and Jason's fury for keeping them awake too long. And for giving them sugar.

He was so proud of his sons for being responsible, mature fathers. They had grown up _so much_.

“It's time to sleep,” he said quietly, trying to soothe his still awake grandchildren. Mar'i was already lying down, her hand slipped into Charlie's own, her big sister carefully petting her hair.

“But I don't wanna sleeeeep,” winned Lian before yawning.

Bruce couldn't help a soft smile to spread on his lips. “I think you do, sweetheart.”

Lian pouted, but she yawned again and it engaged the same reaction from the others.

“Come on, if you go to bed now I will even sing a song to you.”

Tyler piped up with interest. “Really?”

“Yes, really. Lay down, I'm covering Angie with a blanket and I'll come back to you after. Be ready to sleep when I come back, alright?”

They all seemed more interested now; Mar'i was already half-sleeping, though, which was really cute. Mar'i was a really cute child in general. All his grandchildren were cute. No, he wasn't going to take criticism.

He didn't take long to make sure the two youngest were comfortable and secure before coming back to the oldest ones. They were all curled around each other, Mar'i in Charlie's arms and Tyler half on Lian. He sat down on the floor at their side, tucking them in carefully before starting to sing.

The song was one from his childhood, that he remembered his parents singing to him on rainy days, when they were all in the den watching the sky crying on them. He used to sing it to his children, too, when they came to him late at night after a nightmare, or were stuck at home because of sickness. It was soft and familiar and the kind of legacy he had no problem passing on to his children and grandchildren.

It was the kind of tradition he liked; like blanket forts and sleeping tucked against each other and feeling safe around his family.

If he had to choose, it would be the type of thing he wanted to be remembered with.

He wasn't even at the end of the song before the kids were already asleep; Bruce didn't stop, though. He sang, voice low and soft and full of love, heart beating in the rhythm of the words; he sang again and again and again, looking over these beautiful and incredible children who were part of his family, who were proof that life hadn't stopped with falling pearls and drops of blood, with broken bones, blades and poison, with time and fear and guilt; he sang until his voice couldn't really be heard anymore and his eyes were closing without his consent.

When he slipped into sleep, the voice singing was his mother's, accompanied by his father's laugh and the pour of rain.

(And if after that, his phone background became a picture of him with his grandchildren, sleeping in a nest of disordered blankets, well, it was only a coincidence.)

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it!! 
> 
> I like Grandpa Bruce. He's just doing this best. He deserve chaotic grandchildren who he can spoil how much he want lmao. 
> 
> Tomorrow we have Lashing Out, and we're going back to a little more angst :D
> 
> Take care, a lot of love for you!!


End file.
